The Best Performances From The Stars Of ONE: NO SURRENDER II

ONE Championship will keep the fire burning with another explosive spectacle in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, 14 August.

That evening, the promotion will bring ONE: NO SURRENDER II to the capital city, where the stacked card will feature a kickboxing contest, a pair of mixed martial arts bouts, and a trio of Muay Thai fights.

With less than 10 days until event night, let’s relive four of the greatest performances from the stars who are scheduled to compete.

Saemapetch Thrills In ONE Debut

Former ONE World Title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex had an unforgettable debut in The Home Of Martial Arts back in July 2018.

The Thai star went toe-to-toe with Deividas “The Lithuanian Savage” Danyla at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS, and he thoroughly entertained the crowd inside China’s Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium.

The Fairtex southpaw fired crackling left roundhouse kicks at Danyla throughout the first round and also went head-hunting with his left cross. Then, with nearly 30 seconds left in the stanza, Saemapetch backed the European up to the ropes with a pair of body kicks and a left cross before knocking him to the canvas with a left downward elbow.

Danyla got to his feet, finished the round, and looked to swing the tide in the second frame. But while “The Lithuanian Savage” walked him down, Saemapetch attacked with varying strikes, including powerful switch kicks to the ribs. He then threw more left roundhouses to the midsection and went head-hunting once again with his left cross.

While Danyla found some success in the final stanza by switching from his orthodox stance to southpaw and throwing his own left crosses, it was not enough to sway the judges. They awarded a clear-cut unanimous decision to the Fairtex standout.

For his next act, Saemapetch will meet our next featured star in the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Tournament semifinals.

Rodlek Runs Through Harrison

Just like his upcoming opponent, Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym had a debut to remember.

The Thai, known to fans as “The Steel Locomotive,” went toe-to-toe with British slugger Liam “Hitman” Harrison at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST in June 2019 at Shanghai’s Baoshan Arena.

Although the two exchanged leg kicks in the opening minute, Rodlek set the tone by bursting forward with a three-punch combo and leg kick, which tripped the Brit to the ground.

And while he continued to throw various kicks to the legs – as did Harrison – the Thai scored well when rushing forward with boxing combinations and ending them with a kick or step-in knee.

Harrison doubled up on his leg kicks in the second frame, but that only encouraged the PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym representative. Rodlek continued to march forward with a high guard and ripped a short right to the Englishman’s temple, which dropped him to the canvas for the only knockdown of the fight.

When “Hitman” returned to his feet, the two engaged in a close-quarters battle, with Rodlek controlling the action, getting the better of the exchanges, and constantly calling on his European opponent to come forward.

The Brit did just that in the third round, as he aggressively threw boxing combinations and leg kicks. At one point, he even wobbled his Thai rival with an uppercut-left hook and then caused damage with a Superman elbow. But Rodlek shook it off and ultimately earned the unanimous decision win.

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• Rodlek Reveals His Keys To Victory Against Saemapetch
• Pongsiri Ready For Tall Task In Match-Up With Sorgraw
• Saemapetch Fairtex Plans To Use New Tricks Against Rodlek

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Zatout Edges Former ONE World Title Challenger

Algerian Muay Thai specialist Mehdi “Diamond Heart” Zatout picked up his biggest win on the global stage at ONE: A NEW TOMORROW this past January when he edged out former ONE World Title challenger Han Zi Hao via split decision.

On that night, the Chinese bantamweight displayed more aggression in the opening frame, often charging forward with his strikes and trying to hit the evasive Algerian, who methodically fired kicks in return.

In the final minute of the period, “Diamond Heart” let rip with a pair of roundhouses and a step-in knee. Though Han moved through the knee and went head-hunting with his own strikes, Zatout responded with a fierce jab-cross.

That sequence would become somewhat of a theme throughout the match-up.

Han stormed out of the gates with his strikes in round two, but Zatout caught a teep and dumped him to the canvas. Though momentum briefly slowed down, Han continued to burst forward and pick his shots with boxing combinations, while his rival looked to double up his kicks and punches.

Zatout dialed up the pressure at the end of the stanza, cornering his foe, catching yet another kick, and punching him down to the canvas. He followed that up with a perfect step-in knee to the ribs and swept Han twice more.

Perhaps feeling down on the scorecards, the Chinese star fearlessly walked through the Algerian’s attacks to land his punches in the third round, and he even connected with knees and elbows in the clinch. But “Diamond Heart” scored cleanly at the end with his right hands and a sweep – and ultimately earned the win.

Next, Zatout will aim to build off that momentum when he meets Leo Pinto at ONE: NO SURRENDER II.

Mitsatit Finishes “The Jaguar”

Thailand’s own Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit proved to be the superior striker in his mixed martial arts clash with Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado at ONE: HERO’S DREAM in Yangon, Myanmar, back in November 2018.

Even though the Filipino comes from a boxing and Muay Thai background, he utilized his grappling and took his rival to the ground in the hopes of getting a submission.

But Mitsatit displayed excellent submission and wrestling defense, using those skills to return to his feet several times in the opening stanza. From there, the Chiang Mai native deployed his vast Muay Thai arsenal to batter the Filipino, especially with leg kicks, right hands, and knees from the clinch.

Mitsatit continued to find success with that strategy in the second frame and evaded his rival’s takedown attempts. Though Miado came forward with punches in spurts, he was on the defensive and was tiring himself out.

In the final minute of round two, “The Jaguar” went for a desperate takedown. However, Mitsatit stuffed it, advanced to mount, and dropped strikes until the referee stopped the contest.

“The Smiling Assassin” will now look to exert his dominance against Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa in Bangkok.

Read more: The Best Knockouts From The Stars Of ONE: NO SURRENDER II